Can a Brain Injury Cause PTSD?

Traumatic brain injuries have the potential to greatly impact the lives of victims. While brain injuries are unique in their severity and consequences, they can result in significant issues involving a person’s physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being. From mild traumatic brain injuries, or concussions, to moderate and severe brain injuries resulting in long periods of unconsciousness, the initial force or jolt to the head that causes these injuries can lead to many symptoms and issues down the line, including post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

At Scott H. Palmer, P.C., our Addison brain injury lawyers have represented many clients who experienced a number of symptoms following a head injury. While physical symptoms can persist for weeks and months and make daily living difficult, the emotional and cognitive symptoms of brain injuries can also create serious burdens that reduce a victim’s quality of life.

PTSD is a condition inherently linked to traumatic events. These events, which can include explosions, falls, or car accidents, can also cause traumatic brain injuries. As a result, there is increasing evidence about the connection between brain injuries and PTSD, and the fact that a TBI can certainly lead to PTSD. Aside from physical symptoms of brain injuries, which can include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, and difficulties with vision, victims can also experience other symptoms associated with PTSD, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Changes in personality

Identifying emotional and cognitive symptoms and determining how a brain injury played a role in causing them is a difficult task. Medical professionals still have a lot to learn about the human brain and how it reacts to trauma and repairs itself. What is clear, is that traumatic brain injuries and PTSD can certainly coexist, and when they do, they can make life exceedingly difficult for both victims and their loved ones.

When it comes to personal injury law, victims who suffer injuries as a result of negligence have the right to pursue compensation their damages from the at-fault party. These damages can include their economic losses, such as the costs of medical care, and noneconomic damages, which include emotional injuries. In cases involving brain injuries, it becomes critical for victims and their lawyers to assess the full scope of an injury’s impact on a victim’s life.

Our legal team places an emphasis on working personally with clients to determine just how an injury impact their life and their physical and emotional well-being. When brain injury victims suffer from cognitive and emotional problems, it becomes crucial to highlight just how severely they affected them in order to recover the compensation they deserve. Often, victims of brain injuries who also experience PTSD symptoms will seek psychological or cognitive treatment to address the issues they face. This can provide documentation that in addition to physical injuries and symptoms, victims were forced to deal with other consequences that created difficulties in their life for which they needed treatment.

Brain injury cases are difficult, but they can be effectively handled by experienced lawyers who take the time to listen to clients and assess the totality of their injuries. If you or someone you love has suffered a brain injury in a preventable accident, you can find the proven legal representation and compassionate support you need to protect your rights by working with Scott H. Palmer, P.C. Our legal team has decades of combined experience, and a passion for helping victims and families through difficult times.

To discuss a potential case and your right to compensation, contact us today and request a consultation.